By Dennis Chu on October 5, 2013 • ( 2 Comments )

NAUVOO GRILL CLUB

Address: 121 Fair Haven Road, Fair Haven, NJ 07704

: The tower that is the 10 oz. Nauvoo Burger.

: The Nauvoo Burger, before it’s fully constructed.

: A cup of the lobster bisque. The smell alone was good enough to draw you in.

Last weekend, I took a quick trip back home in New Jersey for one and a half days. My mom and I went out for lunch on Monday and she recommended we check out the Nauvoo Grill over in Fair Haven. She had been there before with my dad and brother as well as her friends, and everyone had thoroughly enjoyed it. We had made an attempt to go there to eat the previous time I had been home, but the place had been absolutely packed. Now, it was time for a second attempt.

This time around, there was only a small lunch crowd to compete with and there was plenty of parking available despite their small parking lot. The exterior of the restaurant itself reminds you of a ski lodge, with its large windows all around the restaurant and sloping roofs. Inside there are several dining areas, with the largest one having a fireplace and a multitude of skylights to brighten up the entire space. The oak furniture and lounge booths for seating really helped to round out the classy feel of the interior.

The menu is full of different dining options, but I had my eyes set on their signature Nauvoo Burger: a 10 oz. patty topped with caramelized shallots, smoked bacon, pepper jack cheese, and barbecue sauce, all topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions on a Kaiser roll. It was something both my dad and brother had tried and mentioned great things about, so I went down the same path. The chefs successfully delivered on having the burger cooked to medium rare, and I have to say, I was very impressed with how balanced all the components were to each other.

Fully assembled, my mouth almost didn’t stretch tall enough to take a full bite out of the burger (even with everything fully compressed). The meat was juicy and flavorful, the pepper jack cheese gave the little zest on the palate, with the bacon providing a flavorful smoky crunch. There was enough barbecue sauce on there to make the taste known and linger, but never overpower any of the other ingredients. The cold vegetables mixed well with all of the other warm ingredients to provide a tasty, well-rounded burger.

I had also ordered a cup of their lobster bisque after seeing (and smelling) it after my mom’s bowl had arrived. It was something that my mom had ordered before, and had only good things to say about it. The bisque was rich, aromatic, and very flavorful, successfully infusing the taste of the sherry wine with the rest of the bisque and chunks of lobster meat. A small piece of French bread on the side would have made it perfect.

My experience with the Nauvoo Grill Club was very positive, and I’m certain it would be a place that I would go back to again. The food tasted great, the architecture of the restaurant provided an elegant feel to the atmosphere, and the service was very professional. I can’t wait to go back to try some of their other menu options, as they all had sounded so delicious.

Here are my rankings for the Nauvoo Grill Club:

Food: 5 / 5
Everything tasted fantastic and you could tell that the quality is there. The burger and the bisque were both excellently made. Dining options are also diverse to include a broad number of options.

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
The construction and decorations of the interior gave the dining areas a real sense of luxury. The abundant natural lighting was great to have and really brought out a nice feel to the dining areas.

Service: 4.5 / 5
Our waitress was very courteous and came by frequently to check in with us to see how the meal was.

Price: 4.5 / 5
With the entrées, I think that the prices are reasonable. Even though the burger was priced at $13, based on its overall, it’s a price I would certainly pay. Bonus for burger aficionados: Sunday and Monday is half-price burger days. For $6.50, I think the Nauvoo Burger is practically a steal.

Overall: 18.5 / 20 (93%)